Watch this Page for Sweet Home 2021 Hosts

Pastor Michael Allen

Chief Strategy Officer for Together Chicago, Pastor at Uptown Baptist & formerly of Moody Church in Chicago, and others in Texas and Florida

Barbara Beck

National Underwriter, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and former Housing Director for seven years at Voice of the People in Uptown, Inc.

Kay Berkson & Sidney Hollander

Long-time affordable housing and civil rights activists

Jean Butzen

President and founder, Mission + Strategy Consulting, former Executive Director of Lakefront (SRO) Supportive Housing, now Mercy Housing Lakefront

Tim Carpenter

State Director, Council for a Strong America, Illinois Chapter of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids;  former Executive Director for eleven years at Chicago’s Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO)

Thom Clark

Former Development Director of Voice; co-founder Chicago Rehab Network & Community Media Workshop (now Public Narrative), educator, radio host, editor, photographer and grandpa

William “Bill” Eager

Senior VP for Real Estate Development, Midwest Region, Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH); formerly Managing Deputy Commissioner for Chicago’s Department of Housing & Economic Development.

Alan Goldberg

Manager, LUCHA Community Alliance Initiative, former director Uptown Hull House Family Care Program, former Senior Community Consultant for Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA)

Maurice Hamp

Voice President of the Board, retired employment coach EZRA Multi-Service Center

Jack Hart

Development consultant and CFO Property Management Specialists, former Assistant Commissioner Chicago Department of Housing, former community organizer in Uptown

Janet Hasz

Former Executive Director of Voice and Supportive Housing Providers Association, retired Shambhala Meditation Center Instructor

Hans Hintzen

Owner – Managing Broker of Landstar Realty; former staffer, affordable housing and fair housing activist for Voice, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities

David Hunt

Former Chicago Rehab Network Executive Director, national consultant for community Storytelling & Strategic Planning

Denice Irwin

In late 1980s and 1990s, Voice Board Community Rep, President and liaison to Uptown high rise developments — Lakeside Square Apartments (Founder/President) and Lakeview Towers Corporation


L to R, Former Voice of the People in Uptown Leaders
Janet Hasz, Exec Director; Denice Irwin, President & Yittayih Zelalem, Housing Director

Ed Jacob

Former Development Director at Voice and Executive Director of the North Side Community Federal Credit union, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago and Franciscan Outreach

Jack Kaplan

Former director, public policy and advocacy, United Way of Metro Chicago and United Way of Illinois, former Executive Director, Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, Voice Advisor

Tom Lenz

Consultant with Millennia Consulting, former Voice Executive Director, Program Director Chicago LISC, Sr Associate UIC Great Cities Institute, Lead Organizer for Lake County United and United Power for Action and Justice

Jeff Leslie

University of Chicago Law School Clinical Faculty, Paul J. Tierney Director of the Housing Initiative Transactional Clinic and Voice advisor; former US Court of Appeals Clerk for Judge Joel M. Flaum and Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago Department of Law

Peter Levavi

Sr VP at Brinshore Development, formerly with LR Development, People’s Housing; faculty-leader at Spertus College (Urban Developers Program), UIC’s Great Cities Institute and College of Urban Planning & Policy Affairs (CUPPA)

Mike Loftin

Executive Director of Homewise (New Mexico), former community organizer with Northwest Community Organization, Metro Tenants Organization, Voice of the People and founding organizer, The Resurrection Project

John G. “Jack” Markowski

President, Community Investment Corporation (a Voice lender), former Commissioner Chicago Department of Housing, former Executive Director of the Edgewater Community Council

Luz Martinez

Former Voice Executive Director, Washington Administration Executive, homeless advocate and shelter director, women and girls empowerment activist, retired Associate Professor in Social Work (Manila, Philippines)

Judy Meima

Consultant and former Multi-Family Program Director for Mi Casa (Washington, DC), former Executive Director of the Statewide Housing Action Coalition (SHAC) and Development Manager of Voice of the People

William “Bill” Miceli, Esq.

Voice attorney and counsel at Miner, Barnhill & Galland; formerly Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago and liaison to Office of Legislative Affairs (Harold Washington Administration)

Alan Mills

Executive Director of the Uptown Peoples Law Center (UPLC) and formerly serving as UPLC Legal Director, staff attorney and volunteer since 1979

Judson Miner

Partner and co-founder, Miner, Barnhill & Galland; Chicago Corporation Counsel (Washington & Sawyer Administrations); founder and first president, Chicago Council of Lawyers

Jane Ramsey

Former Executive Director, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA), civil and human rights activist, CEO Just Ventures Consulting

Jennifer Ritter

Former organizer with Organization of the Northeast, Executive Director of Lakeview Action Coalition (LAC), current Executive Director of ONE Northside

Esther Saks

Artist, social justice and young women’s education and leadership development activist

Helen Shiller

Six term Alderman 46th Ward (retired), former organizer for Heart of Uptown Coalition, social justice activist and author

Kelvin Strong

Executive Director since 1984 at Near North Development Corporation (NNDC), a Voice partner since 2007

Resident Hosts

Lorie Alexander

Resident Hazel-Winthrop Apartments, President Tenant Leadership Council

Tamara Clark

Resident Voice Preservation Development, Voice Director & Fundraising Chair

Honoree Hosts

Doug Dobmeyer

Former Voice and Lakefront SRO director and president, director/secretary Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund, media consultant & social justice activist

Larry Pusateri

Affordable housing finance staff (Lakefront SRO) and development consultant, former Executive Director Statewide Housing Action Coalition (SHAC) aka Housing Action Illinois

Yittayih Zelalem

Former Voice Housing Director, Chicago Rehab Network affordable housing finance trainer-educator, and Co-Director UIC Voorhees Center of Neighborhood & Community Improvement